The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Jesse Russell


The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Title : The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 5510592257
ISBN-10 : 9785510592252
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 98
Publication : First published March 22, 2012

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Elegance of the Hedgehog (French: L' l gance du h risson) is a novel by the French novelist and professor of philosophy Muriel Barbery. The book follows events in the life of a concierge, Ren e Michel, whose deliberately concealed intelligence is uncovered by an unstable but intellectually precocious girl named Paloma Josse. Paloma is the daughter of an upper-class family living in the upscale Parisian apartment building where Ren e works.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog Reviews

  • Joy Jackson

    Instead of stars, I would give this book five bouquets of camellias!!! I adored it and don't know why I put off reading it for so long. I fell in love with the characters and will now pay the price of missing them, always the sign of a great book for me. Written with a rare and compassionate insight for all the "hedgehogs" of the world, which may just be all of us, this book truly becomes a bouquet of camellias.

  • Karen Trenorden

    I must confess that when I first started this book I was not enthralled. I found it wordy and up to about a fifth of the way through I was ready to put it aside (thus it took me a month to finish it!!).
    However I persevered and I am so glad I did. By the end I was completely invested. I couldn’t put it down. I laughed and I cried. It is very clever!

  • Nancy

    What a FANTASTIC book! I was prepared to dislike this novel--the reviews and summary made it sound quite pompous and self-righteous. After a few pages I was completely caught up in the gorgeous language and the wonderful characters.

    The person who translated this book must have an incredible grasp of English and French, including colloquialisms and references to pop culture.

    I really enjoyed Paloma's take on grammar and her confrontation with her French teacher. I wonder what the original text was like--Paloma refers to a split infinitive, but you can't split an infinitive in French. I'd love to talk to someone who read it in French.

  • Karen Cunningham

    An odd book, an odd main character, but that’s what made it interesting.

  • Deb

    Just finished reading it a second time through since it was difficult to put down. Eloquent search for the beauty in life.

  • Rosemary

    Just lovely, a much talked about book in our Bookclub

  • Chele

    Prolonged discourse on philosophy makes my teeth hurt. The author lost me at phenomenology.

  • Heather

    I could not get into the storyline, found it boring. Maybe the last few chapters are better, I'll never know as I have given up and moved on to something new.

  • Ted O.

    Quick and quirky read.